Holidays behind us. What's now?

Holidays behind us.

In my family of origin, we wait for an Old New Year, which is on the January 14th, to undecorate from holidays. If you don't know what Old New Year is, Google it. I think in my culture we allow 2 weeks after January 1 to still be in the holiday spirit because we actually quietly want to not let holiday spirit go. :-)

Honestly, who does want to let holiday cheer go? 

Yesterday I taught the Vision Board Workshop. (Want recording? Join the club and listen to a replay or take a self-paced course here.) It was the last event devoted to holidays. This is it.

 What now? The same old days of grinding life? 

Sometimes our New Year resolutions all of the sudden don't have the same charge of excitement. 

The third week of January may be filled with, "I don't want to’s". We know we have to go back to our busy lives and work. We also know we want  to do the actions we set our commitment towards. We know it all starts now. No more waiting for after the holidays. This IS after holidays. 

I do know some of us have been consistent in staying in action.  We have committed to exercise 2-3 a week and have been faithfully doing it.  We committed to eating better and finally all holiday food is gone and we have been eating better. Kudos 👏 

But why are some of us feeling anxious and a little agitated?

We may feel we do the work but results won't last? We feel we fail before we even start. We already feel unmotivated. It's hard to get onto the positivity wagon.

Deep inside we truly believe,  if we just stay with consistent action, we can achieve our goals. We believe we can.

At the same time, there is this little something deep inside us like a distant but pervasive voice talking us out of it. That persistent voice running in the background can make our efforts feel so hard and like chores that it's so easy to feel like giving up. That voice that says "I am tired 😫 ", "I will do it tomorrow ", "I am lazy", "I have family in the house", etc.

That's the inside voice that tries to sabotage your good efforts?

Why is that nagging voice there and why is it consistently trying to say the opposite from what we know is good for us? 

Can it be fear?  Can it be our survival brain that is not yet used to a new way of being? Is it trying to remind us of what's familiar? The critter brain's job is to help us survive physically and emotionally. Therefore, all it is doing is trying to help us be safe. 

Can it be that our critter brain is quite scared itself? Maybe because the unfamiliar occurs to critter the brain as 'not safe"? All it wants is for us to be safe. 

The question is: How do we help our critter brain to not be so loud in talking us out of it?

Reflecting on my past experiences and my knowledge,  I want to encourage myself once again and you, my readers, to keep going. The critter brain is going to be a little loud for a while but give it time and soon (in February,  providing you are consistent), you might notice these habits have become easier. They may not be automatic yet, but they may start to be easier. You may notice that you put less effort into starting them; that they become more flowing. You may notice you even enjoy being in action and how satisfying it feels after. You may catch yourself being proud!

Ahhh, in this case, congratulations! These new behaviors are becoming your new habits! Your critter brain has finally recognized them as familiar; familiar is safe.

And guess what? Valentine's Day is coming! What a great gift of self-love - to congratulate yourself on newly established healthy habits! 

My message to all of us is to not ever stop pursuing our happiness.

 Find what matters. Find your why. Seek clarity of your vision. Choose an action. Commit to it. Stick to a deadline if it motivates you. And just keep going. 

I love this song that reminds me of that.

What's now?

For DIY peeps. If you need a little push right now, Valentine's Day is your next deadline. Or take Build Your Vision Board Course. What could be possible? Go for it!

For personal-personal attention peeps. This month I am open to accept two more private clients. Schedule your Discovery Call here.